


Fifty-One Days

by CobaltStargazer



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Friendship to Love, Late Night Conversations, Making Plans, Reunion Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 23:08:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2599901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltStargazer/pseuds/CobaltStargazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love makes a house a home, even when the sand won't stop shifting beneath your feet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fifty-One Days

Maxie did not like being in the carrier at first. She whined from the moment Elle latched the door behind her until she and Spencer were headed to the airport, but by the time they'd reached the terminal the dog had gone to sleep. The brunette had been anxious about trusting the airline with transport, but after numerous assurances from the customer service rep who'd inspected the carrier, she gave the hard plastic top a pat and watched it be loaded into the luggage area. 

"She'll be okay, won't she?"

"She'll be fine. They can probably tell it would be a bad idea to annoy you."

They'd agreed to a trial period of living together, at least for a few months. Elle had appointed Ruth to be temporary manager of Page Turners because she had worked there the longest, then arranged to sublet the house. She had a knot in her stomach at the thought of returning to Washington even on a trial basis. She didn't know what she was going to do with herself there, for one thing. And the pregnancy aside, her former co-workers were there, and she didn't know how they'd react to her being around again. Garcia knew that she and Reid were together, and David Rossi probably suspected it. Was she ready for this?

And then she felt a warm hand settle on the small of her back, and Spencer said, "I'm worried too. In fact, I'm probably worrying enough for both of us, so you really don't have to."

The knot dissolved, and Elle bumped her shoulder against his upper arm. Maybe it was ridiculous for her to be _this_ ass-over-teakettle in love, but for him she'd go anywhere and do anything. Including go public with the relationship. It might be the equivalent of pulling the pin on a grenade, but with the baby coming it was going to be common knowledge soon enough anyway. For him - for _them_ \- she didn't fear the repercussions.

"Have I said I love you today?" One of her hands came up and gave his hair a gentle tug. His fingers flexed against the base of her spine as he shook his head. Whether she was whispering it into his ear when they were having dinner in public or wailing it when she was coming, he never got tired of hearing it. 

"I love you."

He ducked down and kissed her very quickly, and he'd been telling the truth, he was worried. But not as much as he could have been. He wanted Elle with him, and there were going to be adjustments on both sides. And adjustments at work as well, particularly if the others took issue with her presence. He shook off the notion as they boarded the plane and took their seats. Spencer's long legs took up most of the available room in front of his seat, and when she interlocked her fingers with his, the smile he gave her was warm with affection.

"Whatever happens, no regrets." She could have made it a question, but she didn't.

"None." The sign to fasten their seat belts flashed on, and the profiler buckled it around his waist. He reclaimed Elle's hand when they were both secured. It was going to be late when their flight landed. In a way, he was looking forward to this in a clinical way as well as an emotional one. He'd never lived with anyone before, not a girlfriend at least. Spencer was sitting in the window seat, and he looked out at the growing dusk, wondering about the next few months.

He turned to look at her when he felt her thumb run over his knuckles, and she winked at him. That settled his slight case of nerves.

The flight passed without incident, and it was past midnight when they arrived at his apartment, where Elle put the carrier down and unlatched it. Maxie poked her head out after a few seconds, and the brunette clipped a leash onto her collar to let her do her business. The night was warm and soft around them. After she cleaned up the mess and threw it into a trash can, Spencer poked his head into the lobby, which was silent and empty. He'd wondered if they'd have to sneak the dog past the guy who mopped the floors, but he had probably gone home by now. 

He unlocked his door, and she put both hands on the small of her back and stretched. He closed the door and re-engaged the lock. They looked each other over in the glow of the lamp he'd switched on while Maxie sniffed at the unfamiliar furniture. Every time they thought they'd figured this whole thing out, something would shift and make everything different. 

"I didn't mean for it to be like this." Elle gestured at her stomach. "I should have been more careful."

Spencer shook his head. Once the shock had worn off, he'd realized that he might be ready to be a parent after all. "I was there too," he said, taking a couple of steps towards her. "I just needed some time to think, and you gave me that. That you were willing to give me space is..." The profiler shook his head again, and he was within touching distance now. It had been fifty one days since they'd been intimate. One thousand, two hundred and twenty four hours. They hadn't gone to bed for anything other than sleep when he'd come to her in Taos. It had been time for talking, not sex. But she was here now, and they had reached a new plateau.

She closed the remainder of the distance, put her hands on his shoulders. As cliche as it might have been, the warmth and constancy of his love had brightened everything up. "Spencer...Reid..."

"It's okay, Elle," he responded quietly. "Because that's how I feel too."

When he touched her stomach, she put her hand over his before he kissed her. When he started backing her towards the bedroom, she went willingly. One thousand, two hundred and twenty-four hours was too long.

"Oliver."

"No."

"Elijah."

"No."

"Katniss."

Elle's breath tickled the shell of Spencer's ear when she said it, and their clothes were on the floor and she was above him. The insides of her thighs and the flesh of her stomach were satiny against his skin. His index finger touched her lips, and she fell silent except for the rush of breath that escaped from her lungs as she slid onto his erection. Even he could turn off his brain when she was touching him like _that_.

"We'll talk about it later, I promise," he said in a strangled voice, and she responded with a breathless laugh. They'd make it work somehow, as improbable as their being here and now might have seemed. He put his hands on her hips when she started to rock up and down. The dry spell was about to end with a deluge.

Her breathing was labored as she rode him, and he was panting beneath her. Every time with him was like the first time, and she craved him, the healthiest addiction there was. Elle leaned down for a kiss, and his mouth fit against hers in exactly the right way. Even when there were no words, Spencer knew what she wanted to say.

Everything was tightening down wonderfully, and she slowed the pace, trying to draw it out. He was helping her maintain the torturous grind. The only thing louder than the noise the springs were making was the sound of their breathing. 

Elle came and came hard, letting out a sob of relief, and Spencer finished in response to the tightening of her muscles around his cock. Her arms tried to brace her weight, but her biceps were trembling too much. He eased her fully on top of him, and they lay in the warm afterglow, her face pressed against his scarred neck. He had his arms around her, hips gently rocking in time with hers as she rode out the aftershocks. 

His bed was no longer too big.

And tonight, she would sleep without dreams.


End file.
